╰┈➤ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫: 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘴

"𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐒𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆."

Love defended, taking a sip of her latte. Poppy glared at her from across the cafe table. Love had come into Poppy's job under the premise that she would be issuing a formal apology.

It was a lie. "At your wedding, I want full credit." She smiled, taking a bite out of her croissant. "I'm thinking my own table, and I want my name in the program." Poppy rolled her eyes, sliding the girl another chocolate croissant.

"We're not getting married, I don't even like the guy." Poppy grumbled, Love stopped her chewing, her dark brown eyes boring into the French girl's skull.

"You don't like him?" "No." "So you don't think he's attractive?" "Well that's not what I sai-" "And you don't think he's kind?" "I didn't-" "Or funny?" "You're putting words in my mouth." "And you couldn't envision a life with him?" "I mean I think everyone could." Love shook her head.

"I know love when I see it." Poppy smirked, "Because you're in love with Gwen." "No-" "Don't even deny it, you're as red as an apple."

Love glared at her, taking big gulps of her water as if to make the sudden rise of heat in her cheeks go down. "Okay I don't know much about love, but I do have eyes. And I see how you are with each other. You have someone, right there, who you can reach, who you can be with." She spoke slowly.

"Appreciate it while it's still there."

𝐏𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐈𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄.

It was pointless honestly, especially when the person you're avoiding knows you're avoiding them. So she decided to take a different approach.

Spending even more time with him.

Surely, the more they hung out, the more flaws she would find and any possible feelings would slowly fade. Right?

Wrong.

All this strategy did was confirm what she was afraid of all along.

Poppy Parker had a crush on Hobie Brown.

But just a little one. Any flaw she found somehow made her admire him even more.

Being cocky? Confidence is sexy. Too chill? He's just a really cool person. Stubborn? Knows how to stand his ground. There was just nothing wrong with this man, but maybe that's just what having such a deep adoration for someone did to you, blurred out all their flaws. 

Well, almost all of them.

"You know his first name is Hobart right?" Love had questioned. She did not. And honestly she regretted finding out.  

"Hobart?" Poppy asked flopping on Love's bed next to him. "Poppy?" he retorted, quirking an eyebrow at the small girl. "Hobart??" "Poppy?" "HOBART?!" "Poppy." Poppy face planted into Love's fluffy black pillows. "Your name is Hobart?" she screamed, her voice muffled. "Yes it is." "Why? Do your parents not love you?" Hobie rolled his eyes smiling. "None of us got parents dovey."

Love walked through the double doors of her bedroom, balancing a charcuterie board on her head, her hands clutching onto three glasses of mango lemonade. Poppy slowly lifted her head from the pillow as the duo observed the younger girl in front of them. Poppy slowly blinked at the sight in front of her, "Are you okay Love?" "I got this." she responded walking into the room slowly. The two continued to watch her tiptoe around her desk slowly making her way to the coffee table by her couch. 

"You sure you don't want some help there darling?" Hobie asked, as the board on her head began to wobble. "No!" Love stood in front of her heart shaped coffee table. "Actually I may need someone to take this board off my head." Poppy rolled her eyes playfully, as she stood up from the bed, grabbing the board off her head. 

"Love. did you know my name was Hobart?" Hobie asked grabbing a grape off the board. Love nodded, sitting on her couch. "Who do you think told her?" "I just didn't think Hobie would be short for Hobart. Next, you'll tell me Love is short for Lovesick." Poppy joked, taking a sip of her drink. Hobie stared at the girls in front of him, a confused expression painted his rough features. "Wait Love is actually your name?" The Korean girl nodded. 

"So your name is Love Lee. As in lovely." "That was the intention, yes." Love spoke slowly, "I thought it was a nickname this whole time."  The two girls stared at him in silence, disbelief written on their face. "So your first name is actually Love, like for real?" "Yes, Hobart. My real name is Love." Hobie stared back at them for a minute before shrugging, picking a cheese off the table.

"That's badass."

LOVE SPEAKS!

Filler chapter because I'm trying to finish act one before the end of the week but I also don't feel like rushing their relationship. Also this is a bad chapter and the next few will also be bad, I'm kinda falling off. Even the upcoming chapters for Heartbeat and Dead to me are mediocre.